This National Science Foundation Project Grant of $476,137 supports research into the dynamic characteristics of antigen recognition by immune cells at the University of California, Los Angeles from August 1, 2022 through July 31, 2025. The grant is part of NSF's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), which aims to increase scientific knowledge and understanding of problems in biology through basic research support.
Specifically, the grant will fund experimental and computational research to elucidate the physical principles governing the non-equilibrium nature of antigen recognition between immune cells. The principal investigator will investigate how immune cells create and maintain contact during antigen extraction, examine the capacity of physical force to achieve affinity discrimination over a broad dynamic range, and identify information bounds and cellular strategies to optimize sensing functions. Results of this research have the potential to advance understanding of information transfer during cell-cell interaction and the adaptive benefits of active physical sensing in the immune system.
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